Neil Bennett, Academy Director with Mervyn Orchard, Director, Bluestone360 and Shelle Cox, Graphic Designer, Luke Hopkins, Web Developer, John Downie, Digital Developer and Kyle Borlase, Graphic Designer
Neil Bennett, Academy Director with Mervyn Orchard, Director, Bluestone360 and Shelle Cox, Graphic Designer, Luke Hopkins, Web Developer, John Downie, Digital Developer and Kyle Borlase, Graphic Designer

Fast facts

Company: Bluestone360

Location: Plymouth

Industry/sector: Brand communications agency

Needed additional resources to meet client demand

Accessed funding to employ six recent graduates

Background

Bluestone360 Ltd creates marketing strategies delivering a consistent and powerful brand to companies. They were seeking to employ a number of graduates to fulfil demand and worked in partnership with University of Plymouth's Graduate Internship Programme to achieve this.

To date, they have recruited six graduates in the following roles:

  • John Downie, Digital Developer – supports the Head of Digital and drives digital projects through from design to development
  • Mark Grant and Joel Avery, Junior Designers – support Bluestone360 in the design of websites and other marketing communications
  • Angie Chan, Temporary Junior Designer – offered a placement through their newly launched Bluestone360 Academy which aims to recruit new graduates to develop charity websites
  • Sadie Majer, Copywriter – writes all Bluestone360 marketing communications and PR including websites, newsletters and press releases
  • Rhianna Morton, Account Executive – supports the Client Services team to ensure jobs are efficiently executed from start to finish

Benefits

  • Access to funding to contribute towards the salary costs of six graduates
  • Free recruitment service for six campaigns
  • Additional resources
  • High calibre of graduates
  • No long-term commitment

The graduate interns are benefitting from gaining relevant work place experience, earning a graduate level salary, in addition to being able to make a tangible impact on a fast-paced business. 

“Our long-term relationship with University of Plymouth paid off when we needed to grow our multimedia design team. Through the Plymouth Graduate Internship Programme we have been able to recruit six talented graduates, who have brought with them cutting-edge ideas and talents, which are driving up our capabilities resulting in an increased demand from existing and new clients. Through our talented and fresh creative team, we are able to ensure that work for clients such as Gerber, Ginsters and First Devon and Cornwall is of the high calibre and quality they expect.”

Mervyn Orchard, Director, Bluestone360